Retail Workers See Frequent ‘Kamikazee’ Shoplifting

Frontline retail workers in the UK face a daily onslaught of theft and abuse from customers, according to new data.

More than half of retail workers (56%) say they have seen so-called ‘kamikazee’ shoplifting – where thefts take place in plain sight – in their workplace. Worryingly, this is a daily occurrence for 13% of retail workers, with another third (37%) saying it happens at least once a week. 

The findings from workplace operations and improvement platform SafetyCulture highlight the frequency of the current retail crime ‘epidemic’. Recently, the British Retail Consortium annual crime survey showed that incidents had risen to 20.4 million in 2023/24, costing businesses £4.2bn.

Frontline workers also suffer frequent abuse from customers. Nearly four-in-five respondents (79%) have seen or experienced verbal abuse from customers in the workplace. More than a third (39%) have been on the receiving end of physical abuse, or have seen a colleague being assaulted.

This retail violence is also a frequent event for workers, with around one-in-ten experiencing verbal abuse and threatening behaviour (12%) and physical abuse (9%) every day.

Alex Brooks-Sykes, SafetyCulture’s lead for UK & Ireland, said: “Frontline workers are bearing the brunt of this retail crime epidemic. It’s well-documented that there are tens of millions of incidents each year, but we must remember that behind these figures are people simply trying to do their job. Sadly, our findings show that the issue is unrelenting.

“Thefts on this scale also have a serious business impact. Retail margins are already so thin, and any losses make it harder for retailers to invest in their growth."

New government legislation is set to create a standalone imprisonable offence for assaulting a retail worker, as well as treating shoplifting of goods worth less than £200 as a serious rather than summary offence. In the US, New York state recently introduced laws requiring larger retailers to provide accessible or wearable ‘silent response buttons’ for store workers, among other protections.

Emerging technology can improve retailers’ safety management according to SafetyCulture, whose Lone Worker feature protects staff in real-time. Mobile-based solutions enable workers to stay connected, raise the alarm if faced with danger for 24/7 duress response, and give managers responsible for dispersed teams visibility of their team’s whereabouts.

“We believe new tech has an important role to play in safeguarding workers, such as training them how to manage incidents, capturing evidence for internal protocols and law enforcement, and giving both staff and employers peace of mind,” Alex added.

Global technology company SafetyCulture is used by more than 25,000 UK businesses including JD Sports, Footasylum and American Golf. Worldwide, the company powers over a billion checks each year, delivers approximately 85,000 lessons per day and informs millions of corrective actions.

Source : SafetyCulture

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